They’ve got skills

An expected 18,000 visitors and more than 500 youth are heading to Winnipeg this month for the 2017 Skills/Compétences Canada competition.

The event takes place May 31 to June 3, 2017, at the RBC Convention Centre.

The competition, which is in it’s 23rd year, will see Canada’s top youth and apprentices who are enrolled in trades training programs in colleges and high schools across Canada showcasing their skills. The competitions are represented in six sectors: Construction, Employment, Information Technology, Manufacturing and Engineering, Transportation, and Service.

Skills Canada says the event provides tremendous opportunities for students from not only the province of Manitoba, but the entire country, to develop a stronger appreciation for the importance of skilled trades and technology careers.

In the next 10 years it is expected there is going to be a demand for close to 12,000 jobs for skilled workers in the construction industry alone in Manitoba.

This past April, over 500 students took part in the 20th Annual Skills Manitoba competition at Red River College. Students competed in over 40 different contests with a chance to represent Manitoba at the upcoming Skills Canada event.

Every two years, the winners of the Skills Canada National Competition go on to compete at the WorldSkills Competition, where their skills are put to the test at an international level against the best in the world. Manitobans Ashley Weber and Silas Meeches will be a part of World Skills Team Canada 2017 taking place in Abu Dhabi October 14th to 19th.